//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Displaced // by Seven Fates //------------------------------// Dear Mom and Dad, Gosh, has it really been so long since I last wrote? So much has happened since I last wrote to you, and I hardly know where to begin. I'm really sorry that I haven't written to you at all since my last letter. Three years is a long time, I know, but you have to understand things have been really good for me lately. I suppose I should start with the 'beginning'. There was the whole ‘kidnapped by Draconequi’ deal, but Goldenrod saved me! Everypony came to save us all! Get this: they all saved not one, but two worlds in the process! Is that awesome or what? I even got my cutie mark for bravery! The Draconequi were really terrible. They murdered indiscriminately, and destroyed a lot. They even did a really horrible thing to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They were forced to become one monstrous creature! Goldenrod saved them too, though! Still, they haven't completely been the same since. That in itself has been really hard on their sisters, Applejack and Rarity. When we returned to Equestria from Goldenrod's homeland, we had to escape a collapsing castle. It was kind of scary, but pretty awesome, too. It was just like the Daring Do novels Goldenrod reads to me. Then, when the bridge collapsed, he saved me again! He grew wings, and dove into the chasm after me! He died shortly after that, but he came back as a more grown-up pegasus soon after! I have to wonder, did you see him on the other side? He won't talk to anypony about what he saw, or if he saw anything at all. Apparently only the Princesses know. There was a big ceremony for Goldenrod, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and the others in Canterlot just days after everything that happened! They were all knighted by Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance! Right after, there was a big party with everypony's families. Goldenrod told me at the party that the Princesses gave him their blessing in becoming my legal guardian! Since then, we've lived together back in the house you raised me in. Sometimes he can be stubborn, but I know he's just looking out for what's best for me. It can be pretty hard on him, watching over me. Celestia knows I still get into all kinds of trouble with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. Like I said before, they've never really been the same since they were made into a monster by the Draconequus. For one, they've been a lot closer than they used to be, and they have a creepy habit of speaking in unison or finishing each other's sentences. Apparently that's supposed to wear off over time, but I'm not so sure. Even a few years later, they're still like that from time to time. They think it's funny though; they even joke that they could relay messages at long distance. Sweetie Belle initially got a lot of grief from Rarity after she started speaking with the accent Apple Bloom's family does, but after an examination by experts in Canterlot, she was a lot more supportive. Still, it didn't stop her from trying to re-brainwash Sweetie Belle into talking like 'a proper lady.' It was sorta funny that Apple Bloom started talking all fancy after the first few sessions. Just recently, Sweetie Belle earned her cutie mark for singing in the school pageant! A microphone and music notes! She's even been accepted into a prestigious music academy in Canterlot. We always knew she had a great singing voice, but she was always so shy about it. I suppose that's the one good thing that came out of what happened to them. She's not as shy about her voice now. Similarly, Apple Bloom got her cutie mark too. It's some kind of glass beaker shaped like an apple. Go figure that her cutie mark would have something to do with potions or invention. After all, she used a potion she cooked up under Zecora's supervision to protect the crops of Sweet Apple Acres from a parasprite invasion. Since then, she'd been looking to travel. Finally, one day, she up and left for Appleloosa to go visit her cousin Braeburn. I still get letters from them both from time to time. We're looking to set-up a Cutie Mark Crusader Reunion right here in Ponyville. Pinkie Pie jumped at the opportunity to host the party, and insisted everypony who'd gone to Earth should come too. Ponies change, but Pinkie? Pinkie never changes. In spite of her experiences with Goldenrod, Fluttershy did eventually adopt. About a year ago, she took in a very lonely earth pony filly who'd lost both of her parents in a train accident. Since then, Puppy Eyes has come out of her shell and befriended the Cake twins, and Fluttershy is already dealing with a new batch of Crusaders. I swear, I don't know where they got the idea! Rarity's boutique has never been busier. Since Sweetie Belle began attending the Canterlot Academy for Talented Musicians, her business has doubled. Of course, it helps that Rarity is always sending her new dresses to wear to her recitals. I sometimes hear Rarity talking about how proud she is of Sweetie Belle when she visits Pinkie at Sugar Cube Corner. Then she goes on to complain about the outrageous number of orders she's gotten from the families of Sweetie's classmates. Sweet Apple Acres is as busy as ever. Applejack's been working extra hard since Apple Bloom left. Granny Smith has been ailing lately, and Big Macintosh reckons her time is coming. It's been really hard on AJ. Even with the bits Apple Bloom sends back from her sales of parasprite repellent, it's only enough to make sure Granny Smith is comfortable. I just hope Apple Bloom will be back to see her grandmother one last time. Since her visit to Earth, Twilight Sparkle has been a lot more sparing with her use of magic. While she puts it off as having taken an interest in the theoretical aspect of her studies in magic, I accidentally overheard her when she was dictating a letter for Spike to send to Celestia. She said that she's still scared of what she did on the island. I don't know what she's talking about, but it must have been something pretty bad. Twilight instead has become a lot more active in the community, particularly physically. In the last winter wrap-up, in addition to her usual organizational role, she helped the earth ponies clear the snow. AJ comments from time to time on how her lessened reliance on magic has done her a world of good. Twilight says she still uses magic when it matters, but she's beyond the casual uses. Rainbow Dash kept her promise of training me. Once my wings were strong enough, she took me on as an apprentice. I learned a lot from her, and so has Goldenrod. When he became a pegasus, he didn't really know how to fly, and Dash didn't object to his learning from her sessions with me. Sure, he gets remarks about 'flying like a filly,' but he doesn't seem to mind; he's just as fast now as the next pegasus, but more maneuverable than most stallions. He still practices with me and Dash. Oh, and when Rainbow Dash was accepted into the Wonderbolts, she did a triple rainboom! It was so awesome. Even though she's pretty busy with her position on the team, she still takes the time to train with me. I don't think she'd ever say as much, but it feels like she's grooming me as a possible prospect for the team in the future. It took a while, but Goldenrod began to fit in around Ponyville. He began to volunteer his time helping around the flower stall run by Rose, Lily and Daisy. After he learned to fly, Rose asked him if he'd like an actual job with them, delivering orders of flowers. He leapt at the opportunity, and has been working happily with them since. I think that's probably why his cutie mark became a bouquet of goldenrod. Delivering flowers is apparently his special talent. I never see him dating though, it's sort of odd. I think he might be going away for a while though. I've seen him approached by Twilight a few times now, and they seem to be getting into some pretty heated conversations. I think she received a mission from the Princess, and for whatever reason, she thinks he should go with her. The only thing I've gotten from eavesdropping is that there's some sort of temple somewhere out past the Mild West. It sounds like it could be fun. As for me, I've been trying to find a bit of summer employment. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find work in Ponyville when your special talent is bravery. I've done a few jobs for a local cartographer's guild, scouting areas for their scribes to make sure they're safe, and I like the whole scouting deal, but the areas around Ponyville are all well-documented, and they refuse to send me into less known areas. Who knows; maybe I can convince Twilight to take me with her on her mission? Anyway. I'll miss you both more than I can ever tell you, but I think I'm finally coming to terms with your loss. I won't be writing letters any longer, but I'll never stop thinking about you both. I love you so much, Mom and Dad, and I hope you're proud of the pony I've become. Your loving daughter, Scootaloo